The Proposal
by theelderwand1
Summary: Ron tries to convince Harry it's safe to start planning for the future, despite the Guerilla War that still rages after Riddle's death. Then all they have to do is propose to the two most beautiful witches in Britain...without getting hexed to Hampshire.
1. Prologue: Best Laid Plans

"And then I said, 'Is this the moment?'"*

The crowd erupted in laughter.

"The whole effing Death Eater army is descending on us and this git decides to snog his witch!" Harry clapped his hand on Ron's shoulder, a huge smile covering his face.

"Oi! _She_ snogged _me_. Get your facts ssstraight, Chosen One!" Ron slurred through his smile.

"Me thinks the Mighty Ron needs another drink! Rosmerta, if ye'd be ever so kind!" Hagrid bellowed, good-naturedly. "Matter o' fact, 'Arry could use another too!" He slapped two Galleons on the bar, which shook under the force of his large palm.

"For these two, the Old Ogden's is on the house," Rosmerta said, to cheers around The Three Broomsticks.

"Still have to Apparate home," Harry cautioned.

"We'll get ya' home, young masters!" one of the patrons shouted.

"Aye, but in what state!" Ron responded to more laughter.

"Harry and Ron," Hagrid said somberly, raising his glass, "on behalf of all of us fools and drunks," that drew another round of chuckles, "we thank ye fer yer selfless sacrifice and wish ye and yer lovely ladies all the best!"

"Slainte!" all the patrons of The Three Broomsticks shouted.

Harry and Ron downed their shots and, warmheartedly accepted the thanks and praise from the crowd. The two had hoped for an evening of quiet conversation after what had been a harrowing week. A week that had led to yet another confrontation with the Death Eaters that simply refused to give up. But the past hour had been anything but quiet. Even now, four years after the Battle of Hogwarts, their fame had not faded. It didn't help that the Guerilla War that followed the Battle had routinely resulted in Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny being the center of attention in nearly every weekend edition of the _Daily Prophet._

Emptying his tankard of ale, Hagrid eyed his two former charges, and knew, instantly, that they desperately needed some time away from the spotlight their fame had forced upon them.

He smiled and dropped a wink at Harry. "A'right ye blokes! Let's let these two have some peace."

A collective groan came from the crowd. "I din't say ye couldn't keep drinkin'! Jus' that ye need to give 'em their space! Ya ruddy drunks!" Hagrid growled.

The bar responded with more laughter and more raised glasses. A few of the crowd approached Harry and Ron to tink their drinks against theirs, offer their thanks and handshakes as well as their best wishes, which Ron and Harry humbly returned. Slowly, the crowd cleared, no longer expecting the two members of the Golden Quartette to regale them with stories of the Battle of Hogwarts, the Battle of the Pitch or the Guerilla War that was still raging in fits and starts since Voldemort's death and Yaxley's escape from Azkaban.

Once they were relatively alone, Ron sighed. "I'll never get used to that."

"Welcome to my world," Harry retorted, taking a swig from the mulled mead Rosmerta had set in front of him as the two best mates retreated to a table in one of the secluded corners.

Ron sat and slowly swirled the contents of his tankard in his hand as he slurred, "Mate?"

"You're drunk, Ron."

"Does it matter?"

"No. But I have this odd feeling you're about to say…"

"I'm sorry I never really understood what your fame was like."

"You've told me."

"I didn't understand that…"

"We've done this before, mate. Merlin, how much did you have tonight?"

"Well, there were the shots when we came in and the crowd shouted 'thanks' for the last batch of renegade Death Eaters we rounded up. Then Hagrid forced some mead into my hand…"

"You're soused."

Ron set his drink on the table and glared at his best mate. "That a crime? Dammit, Potter, even Aurors get a night off!"

"Not us."

"Bollocks! You pompous ponce! Besides, it was your idea coming here." Ron turned away from his best mate, raising his empty tankard, signaling to Rosmerta that he needed a re-fill of mead.

"No, mate. It was yours."

"Was it now?" Ron asked with a cocked eyebrow and then fell silent.

Harry eyed his best mate and then said, in a placating tone, "Something's on your mind. Gonna say it or just sit there like a Flobberworm?"

"I didn't come here to fight," Ron responded.

"Coulda fooled me after the free drinks stopped flowing." Harry downed the rest of his mead. "Rossssmerta! Another for me too, please."

Ron was glad to hear that his best mate's speech had started to slur as well as his own. "Well, well, decided to be one of us mere mortals now?"

"Bugger off." Harry broke into a smile and Ron started to laugh. "Alright, mate," Harry said good-naturedly, nodding to Rosmerta as she set the drinks in front of them with a smile and turned to walk back to the bar. "What'd you wanna talk about?"

Ron took a deep breath. "I think…Well, I've been thinking…Ya know, it's been four years since the Battle and…It occurred to me…We really should…after all this time, it's just that…"

"Ronald? Is there a complete sentence in there somewhere or are you just gonna fumble around until we're totally pissed?"

Ron smiled in exasperation; then it all came out in a rush. "I-think-we-should-propose-to-the-girls."

Harry's mead was half-way to his mouth before his brain finally interpreted Ron's sentence. Slowly, he set his drink back down on the table. "We talked about this."

Ron nodded sheepishly.

"We've talked about this _a lot_."

Ron nodded again.

Harry sunk back into his chair. "I can't…I _won't_ make Ginny a widow."

"I've heard this before, too," Ron responded before taking a gulp of mead.

"Ronald," Harry fixed his best mate with an exasperated glare.

"What?"

"Yaxley's still out there. There were two attacks this week, one the week before and another the week before that. Kingsley's got the Auror Corps on full alert."

"Merlin, Potter, he's had us on full alert since he dragged us both into the Corps. This isn't news."

"That's my point!" Harry had started to get worked up and took a calming breath before he continued. "We're always in the front any time there's a problem..."

"Hard to lead from behind," Ron interrupted. "Incidentally, the rumors have started again that King's gonna finally make it official and name you Head Auror."

"Brilliant," Harry said with a shake of his head. "If he does, I'm not doing it alone. You know that."

"Assistant Head? Guess we might as well have the titles and the raise since we've already been doing the work for the past three years," Ron said with a smirk.

"The work," Harry shook his head. "That's the problem. Until we finally get this mess of a guerilla war under control, there's no point in this discussion. So, brother of mine, what in the name of Merlin's engagement ring has changed since the last time we went over this?"

Ron seemed to sober as he reached into his robes and pulled out a piece of parchment. He slid it across the table to Harry. "Hermione gave me this just before I dragged you here."

Harry adjusted his glasses as he started to read. His eyes got wider as they scanned the parchment. Then he looked up at Ron, a huge grin covering his face. "Merlin's turncoats!"

"That was my reaction, too. Calls for another drink, eh? Rosmerta! If you please," Ron said, indicating they needed another round.

The two sat in silence until the mead was set on their table.

"The question is…" Harry began.

"Can we trust the git?" Ron finished. "What d'ya think?"

Harry pondered it. "He wants a pardon for himself and his father," Harry said, gesturing to the parchment. "If we dangle it in front of him…Yeah, I think he'd be as trustworthy as he can be."

"'As he can be.' That's not very reassuring," Ron countered.

"With Malfoy, that's as good as it'll ever get."

Ron shook his head. "Not good enough."

"And the alternative?"

Ron hesitated. "I was really hoping you'd say something else."

"Like what? That I thought he'd turn over the entire underground Death Eater movement to pay us back for saving his life four years ago?"

"Yeah. Actually, that was exactly what I was hoping you'd say." Ron's mirth had dried up in the face of his partner's cynicism.

Harry shook his head. "Draco's not capable of gratitude, only self-interest."

Ron's heart sank.

Then Harry smiled. "But that'll be enough. For him, that's nearly the equivalent of honest-dealing." Harry raised his mug. A lopsided grin began to cover Ron's face as he raised his in return. They both drank.

Harry continued, "Well, Mr. Chessmaster, we'll need a solid plan to exploit this. Any ideas?"

"Now that you mention it, I thought we might have Malfoy tip them off that the two of us had gone out for a drink after work, without protection. See if that goads the gits into coming after us in force." Ron's smile only got wider.

Harry's eyebrows shot up in alarm. "Ronald!"

Ron started to laugh when he realized what Harry was thinking. "Not tonight! I haven't acted on this yet. You didn't think…?"

Harry let out the breath he'd been holding. "You're George's brother. I wouldn't put anything past you."

The two Aurors shared a laugh.

As Ron set down his drink, he eyed his best mate. "This changes things…with the girls, I mean."

"Does it?"

Ron wasn't expecting that answer. "Well…yeah. We can have all the renegade Death Eaters in the bag within a month."

The prospect was tempting. "An end to the war. Gods, Ron."

"It's right here in this parchment," Ron said, tapping the letter from Malfoy.

Harry cocked his head as he contemplated the possibilities. But then, his caution got the better of him. He shook his head at the redhead sitting across from him. "And what if…"

"Don't! Don't say it, Harry!"

"If you already know what I'm gonna say, then you've already thought it yourself."

"Oi! Don't 'Dumbledore' me!"

"Ron, we agreed that until this bloody war was over, we wouldn't propose. It hasn't ended yet."

"But…"

"No buts. We're close. That's all this means." Harry tapped the letter again.

Ron frowned, and changed tactics. "It'd make Mum happy if we proposed now."

"Don't start that. I got an earful at dinner last Sunday."

Ron mustered a horribly bad falsetto imitation of his mother. "'Harry dear, you've been living together for three years. It'd be nice if you finally made an honest woman of my daughter.'"

Despite himself, Harry chuckled. Then the two stared down into their drinks.

Ron broke the silence without looking up. "I don't wanna wait anymore, mate."

Harry lifted his head. "I don't either."

"Then why..?"

"You know why!"

Ron was about to raise his voice, then stopped himself. "Harry?"

The raven-haired wizard shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "What if it doesn't work? What if Malfoy does everything he's promised to but the plan fails and then this godsawful war drags on? Or worse. Do you really want to leave a grieving wife behind if the bastards finally do get us?"

Ron let out a breath. "No."

"Well then…"

Ron cut him off. "Do you really want to keep your life, and mine and Hermione's and Gin's on hold forever? Merlin! It was bad enough when you dumped her before the Horcrux hunt!" Ron had said this a little more forcefully than he'd intended. His words cut Harry to the quick.

Realizing that, Ron raised his hands in a calming gesture as he continued. "It's been nearly eleven years since this whole mess started, brother," Ron said somberly. "Sooner or later, we have to start our lives. I won't do this unless we do it together. You know that; we've been over this. But…It's time Harry. After everything we've been through, it's time."

Harry was about to retort, but bit his lip and slowly nodded. "I walked in on Ginny crying last week."

Ron stared at his best mate in shock.

"I know. Gin's not usually the crying type…" Harry trailed off. "She wouldn't tell me what was wrong. But I know."

Ron whispered, "The link?"

Harry nodded. "She didn't block me out of her mind soon enough." Ever since the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry and Ginny had shared a psychic link. Hermione was still trying to suss out what had caused it, with little success.

Ron dipped his head. "'Mione's been…different lately. I can't read her emotions the same way you can read Gin's, but I'm pretty sure I know what's bothering her." After a moment's hesitation, Ron motioned to the parchment again. "I know this doesn't make an end to the war certain, but it's close enough." Then he locked his eyes on Harry. "And I know you know that, too."

A thousand objections ran through Harry's mind, a thousand reasons why they shouldn't make plans for the future yet. But, for the first time in his life, he decided to ignore them.

"Let's do it."

"Yes?"

"You heard me. Overeating hasn't made you deaf, has it?"

Ron's grin was a mile wide.

Harry cocked an eyebrow at Ron. "Your brilliant plan here does have one small flaw, Mr. Tactician."

Ron was just about to take a celebratory drink of mead when his hand faltered. "I missed something?"

"What if the girls say 'no?'"

_AN: This story was originally a stand-alone one shot called "Best Laid Plans." It leads into my short story, "The Proposal." However, I've decided to combine the two, making this one shot the prologue. For continuity purposes, what is now chapter two of this tale takes place two weeks after chapter one._

_Thanks for reading!_

_Eldy_

___*Quote from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, page 625 (Scholastic, Inc., 2007) The toys belong to JKR; she just lets us play with them!_


	2. Confusion and Retribution

_"Impedimenta!"_

Ron ducked behind the front stoop of Flourish and Blotts as the curse sailed by him. "Galloway! That wasn't nice!"

"C'mon, Weasley, just let me go!" Bryce Galloway whined from the end of the blind alley as he pressed himself into an alcove.

Harry eyed Ron from the opposite corner. He'd only now caught up to his best mate and crouched just out of the line of fire. "He can't let you go! His boss's here and he'd get in trouble at work!"

_"Potter?"_ Galloway shouted, not a little alarm in his voice.

Ron whispered sarcastically to Harry, "Thanks, mate. I really love hearing that my prey is terrified of my partner and not me."

Harry shot him a smile as he whispered back, "He's scared of you. Especially after those headlines you got last week."

"Yeah! I read that article," Galloway shouted back. "You _are_ intimidating, Weasley," he said earnestly," but c'mon. Your partner _is_ the Chosen One, after all."

"Shut it, Bryce!" Ron growled.

Harry shot Ron an apologetic look.

Ron shouted, "Besides, it's illegal to eavesdrop on confidential Auror communications! _Stupefy_!" The curse sailed down the alley, blasting the masonry to bits.

"Ouch! Dammit, Weasley! Those shards of brick are sharp," Galloway snapped.

"Then quit this tripe and give yourself up!" the redhead shouted back.

Harry whispered, "Anti-Disapparation charms in place?"

"Yeah. Only cover's his end of the alley, though," Ron whispered back.

Harry asked, "What'd he do this time?"

"Trying to pass off charmed oregano as Tentacula leaves."

"Again?"

Ron nodded with a smirk.

"He'll never learn." Harry shook his head. "Still, really shoulda let the squads deal with this."

"Probably. But it's a nice break from chasing rogue Death Eaters. No killing curses," Ron whispered back.

"That's right, Weasley!" Bryce shouted. "I haven't used any unforgiveables. Can't you just cut me a break?"

"Damn, his ears are good," Harry mouthed to Ron.

Ron rolled his eyes and shouted his answer down the alleyway. "No breaks today. _Stupefy!" _

Galloway yelped again as he caught another rain of sharp splinters.

Ron turned back to Harry. "So, have you thought about how you're gonna do it?"

"I'll Apparate up to the roof and see if…"

"No, you git! _Propose._ How are you gonna ask my sister to marry you?"

Harry shouted, _"Protego!"_ blocking the _Expulso _hex that Galloway had sent down the alley. "Easy Bryce! We can charge you with attempted murder for using _Expulsos!"_ Then, he whispered to Ron, "Gods, mate. I've been racking my brains for what to say to her and I got nothing."

Galloway shouted back, "Just tell her how much you love her. Y'don't need to be fancy. And, Potter that shot wasn't aimed at you! Can't be attempted murder; no intent!"

Harry shook his head. "Shut it, Bryce!"

Ron winked at Harry and shouted back. "Galloway! You're making him angry. The last time I saw him this mad, Snakeface ended up six-feet under!"

Harry hissed, "Ron! I didn't…" Ron cut him off with a wave of his hand.

"H-h-harry? I just don't wanna go to Azkaban."

Ron was exasperated. "You oaf! You're not going to Azkaban; it's Ministry detention. You of all people should know that! But if you keep this up, I'm turning Potter loose on you and he's looking very, very peeved!"

Harry cocked an eyebrow at his partner, who smiled back and whispered, "He's got a point. She loves you, mate. Maybe I should just try that approach with Hermione." Ron looked very thoughtful.

Galloway shouted back, "But Reggie told me they've started taking everyone to Azkaban for counterfeiting Tentacula. No more Ministry detention!"

Ron answered, "Reginald Bates? You can't really think that ponce has any clue what he's talking about? Time's running out, Galloway!"

Harry eyed Ron. "Wait a minute. You told me you'd already settled on what you were gonna say to 'Mione." With a frustrated flick of his wand, Harry sent a non-verbal _Stupefy_ down the alley, which resulted in another loud yelp issuing from their suspect as shard's of concrete bit into him.

Ron shrugged. "I lied."

"Git!"

Ron whispered, "C'mon, mate. You couldn't really have believed me." Then louder, "I'm not joking Galloway! He's really starting to go spare!"

Galloway shouted back, a note of bewilderment in his voice, "How can you two be dating the two most beautiful witches in Britain and not have the stones to propose to them?"

Harry and Ron locked eyes, turned and shouted down the alley at the same time: _"SHUT IT, BRYCE!" _

If Harry wasn't angry before, he was quickly headed in that direction. Ron wasn't far behind.

"I'm gonna count to three," Harry yelled. "If Ron hasn't hexed you into next week by then, I WILL!"

"ONE!"

"Okay, okay! I give up!" Galloway broke cover with his hands over his head, the butt of his wand pointed skyward. "I really can't believe this. Ginny's gotta be the hottest…"

"You're one word away from a _Crucio!_"

"And Granger? She's got the best…"

"Bugger _Crucio_, it's _Avada_ time!"

Galloway pressed on. "Easy! I'm just sayin' why are you two making this so damned hard? Merlin! They're, they're…"

Ron and Harry's eyes bored into Galloway as he walked slowly toward them, both hoping for any excuse to hex him to Hampshire.

"…they're perfect."

Slowly, the two Aurors' wands dropped to their sides. Then Ron looked a question at Harry.

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "I never sent a Patronus off for back-up. Nobody knows but us."

Ron turned to Galloway and fixed him with a hard glare. Then he sighed. "Beat it."

"Thanks, mates!"

"We're not your mates, you git. If I catch you again…" Ron grumbled.

"Nope! New leaf! Changed man!" Galloway sped off down the street. Then he turned back. "Good luck!"

Harry sighed as he looked at his partner. "We're gonna need it."

HpHpHp

"Madame Undersecretary?"

"Yes, Glen?"

"Ms. Weasley is here to see you."

Hermione looked at her watch and then frowned at her assistant. "She's early. Send her in."

"Yes, ma'am."

Ginny, dressed in her Auror's robes, appeared in the doorway as Hermione rose from her desk. "Hey, Gin. Our training session doesn't start for another hour." Although Ginny was still playing professional Quidditch, ever since a Death Eater ambush at one of her matches, she'd been taking Auror training once a week with Hermione.

"I know." Gin pressed her best friend into a hug.

"Something wrong?"

She nodded. "If you've got a minute, we need to talk." Then Ginny took a good look around Hermione's office. Stacks of parchment and books were heaped on the chairs, the tables and the floor. Ginny couldn't see the surface of Hermione's desk. Her normally prim and orderly office was a disaster. "What in the name of Merlin's cyclone happened to this place?"

Hermione looked at her shambles of an office as a hint of exasperation snuck into her voice. "Malfoy."

One week earlier, Draco had managed to get a letter to Hermione. It offered an open-ended commitment to help end the four-year guerilla war that had been raging since Voldemort's death at the Battle of Hogwarts. Although the Wizengamot had convicted Draco, Harry's testimony had kept him and his mother out of Azkaban. Nonetheless, the Malfoy family was all but exiled from the Wizarding community. Lucius hadn't even been that lucky. He was serving 20 years. In exchange for his help, Draco wanted pardons for himself and his father.

Hermione continued, "His offer's just too sensitive for me to delegate any of the paperwork to other people. We still have leaks."

Ginny nodded knowingly. With the exception of the Golden Quartette, only Kingsley was aware of what was being planned: an operation to round up all the renegade Death Eaters at once, using Malfoy to set the trap. "Still, 'Mione, I could help with some of this." She gestured to the mountains of paperwork.

"Careful. If I say yes, you may never see daylight again."

They shared a laugh.

"Actually, it was the operation I wanted to talk to you about." Ginny levitated a pile of books off of one of Hermione's chairs as she sat.

Hermione followed suit. "The planning's progressing; that's all I know. Ron never likes to share the details of his masterpieces until they're ready to hang on the wall. But I can tell you, whatever he's brewing, it's creating a mountain of Ministry paperwork." Ron had been in charge of tactics since day one, when Kingsley had begged Harry and Ron to reconstitute the nearly extinct Auror Corps out of Dumbledore's Army.

"I'm afraid I know a little bit more than that," Ginny said, cocking an eyebrow.

"The link?"

Ginny nodded. Harry and Ginny had shared a psychic link ever since the Battle. Hermione was still trying to figure out how it had happened, but the answer remained frustratingly elusive. "Harry didn't want me to know, but I caught him thinking about it this morning before he left Grimmauld Place for work."

"Gin!" Hermione scolded.

"I know, I know! I wasn't trying to pry." One of the couple's rules concerning the link was that they wouldn't violate each other's privacy. At first it had been difficult to control the flow of thoughts and emotions. But with time, they'd managed to make it a very pleasant part of their relationship. "It just happened. I was trying to send him an image of what I had in mind for tonight." A devious smile crossed her face.

Hermione couldn't help but smirk, until she saw all the mirth flee from her best friend's face.

"Then I got a flash of what they were planning," Gin finished.

Hermione felt her stomach lurch. "Gin? Is it that bad?"

Ginny nodded. "They're going to be the bait."

Hermione began to smolder. "They're _what?"_

"Yes. 'Reckless Git' and 'Danger Ponce' are swinging into action. Again." Ginny's anger was anything but subtle.

Hermione's complexion changed from peaches-and-cream, to pink, to crimson to fire engine red. Ginny watched in amazement, wondering if the room was going to explode. "Whoa! Easy there Granger. I'm supposed to be the fiery one. Remember? Breathe!"

Despite herself, Hermione let her temper dampen.

Seeing that there was no longer a risk of casualties due to uncontrolled magic, Ginny continued. "I'm just as livid with them as you are. More for not telling us than anything else."

Hermione wanted to argue about that, but was caught off guard by Ginny's relative calm. Then she realized why. "You think the plan will work. Don't you?"

"When I first got the flash of what he was thinking, and that's all it was, just a sharp glimpse, I was ready to Bat Bogey him until he begged for death. Lucky for him, he was in the kitchen at the time. I was still upstairs. Before I could Apparate down there and turn him into The-Boy-Who-Lived-To-Regret-It, I picked up something else through the bond."

"What was that?"

"Hope. Happiness. Relief. He thinks Ron's plan could actually end the war."

"And then?"

"And then I closed it down. I didn't want him to know I'd been reading him."

"You still didn't answer my question."

"Do_ I_ think it'll work?" Ginny didn't have to think long. "I do," she said with a resigned sigh.

Hermione was shocked that her best friend was going to let them get away with this.

Gin read her expression in an instant. "Oh no, Hermione, don't even think I'm letting that raven-haired git off the hook. Not by a long shot. He knows the rules. I don't interfere with his Auror work, and, unfortunately, this probably is the only way to get all the Death Eaters to come out of their holes, but Potter damn well knows we're supposed to discuss something like this first."

Hermione nodded as she slowly came to grips with the necessity of Ron's strategy. "Same with my red-headed ponce. He hasn't breathed a word of this to me. And this has been the plan for awhile, hasn't it?" she asked archly.

"I'm sure of it. So. As Mum would say, 'It's time to pay the piper.'"

"Definitely."

Ginny smiled. "However, it occurred to me that my normal methods of vengeance might not be adequate. But, as luck would have it, the most brilliant witch of the age happens not only to be my best friend but also an aggrieved party."

"So, you want to collaborate on this and drop the hammer on them together?"

"Right in one."

"Ginevra?"

"Yes?"

"You are deviously brilliant. Do you know that?"

"I've heard it mentioned."

HpHpHp

The Auror practice field erupted in a blinding explosion.

"Angelina, don't you think we should, errm, do something?"

"Finnigan, you couldn't pay me enough to get in the middle of that," she responded, with a shake of her head.

Seamus took a long hard look across the practice field. It was transfigured for today's session to look like Diagon Alley in the dead of night. He and Angelina, the Proctors for the exercise, had gotten specific instructions from the Undersecretary herself: stay out of earshot and out of the way…or suffer the consequences.

It had begun like any normal training exercise. The Aurors were split into opposing groups. Today, Harry and Ron were leading the "Death Eaters." Ginny and Hermione were supposed to be leading the "good guys." But Hermione had given specific instructions that, ten minutes into the session, everyone was to peel off and leave an unsuspecting Ron and Harry on their own.

Now, as his eyes adjusted following the flash, Seamus gazed ruefully at his two former dorm-mates as they dangled helplessly from their ankles, under the control of gods knew what new spell the Undersecretary had thought up.

"Angelina? After much consideration…You're absolutely right."

"So there is a brain in that head, eh?"

"Me mam raised no stupid children," the Irishman said with a smirk.

Once Harry's head cleared - _What the hell did they hit us with?_ – and he'd heard the recriminations shouted from the two witches in his life, Harry was trying to decide whether to go spare or go with the flow. He settled on the later.

"Ginevra," he said as calmly as he could, while hanging by his ankles.

"Don't you 'Ginevra' me, Harry James!" Ginny seethed. "When were you two gits gonna tell us?"

Harry looked to his upside-down partner. "You wanna take this one?"

"Not really."

"Thanks, mate."

"Anytime."

Hermione's frown only deepened. "Cut the banter or I'll cut something else! She asked you a question, Potter. And we both expect an answer."

Ginny and Hermione hadn't noticed, but during their exchange, Harry had signaled to Ron to counter Hermione's hex on his mark. Ginny hadn't yet picked up on it, largely because the couple had agreed to block the link during Auror training.

"Can we talk about this? Rationally?" Harry asked.

Ginny laughed. "What in Merlin's name makes you think we're rational right now?"

Hermione smirked in agreement.

"Love," Ron said. "We were gonna tell you about the plan, but…"

"But you didn't want to! That's what you were about to say, isn't it?" Hermione finished for him.

"Bugger," Ron muttered. "No. But we knew…"

"That we'd go spare?" Hermione finished again. "And you thought waiting would be better. Well, do you think so now?"

Ron sighed as he swung from side to side. "Not particularly."

"I think the better question is how you found out?" Harry was eyeing his girlfriend, indignantly.

"Don't you _dare!"_ Ginny hissed.

Harry passed another glance to Ron and, with a force of will, the hex was broken and they dropped to the ground shield spells up.

The four magi eyed each other, as they stood, wand to wand.


	3. Can It Get Any More Complicated?

"Oh my gods." Angelina's voice was little more than a whisper.

Seamus shook his head. "Makes the Battle of Hogwarts look like Quidditch Practice, doesn't it?"

The two Aurors, who were the Proctors for today's training session, had taken up positions on the rooftop of a building two blocks away from the fighting. They watched in awe as the Golden Quartet worked out their "relationship problems." To the untrained eye, it would have appeared more like four people trying to murder each other. But Seamus and Angelina could tell their friends weren't throwing lethal curses back and forth. Still, they were both content to keep their distance.

Seamus continued, "When you and George fight, is it this bad?"

Angelina chortled. "I never let him get the chance to explain. Gin and Hermione should've known better than to give them time to talk." A loud explosion from below shook the night air, underscoring her point.

Seamus sighed. "Well, it can't be pent up sexual frustration; those four shag like rabbits."

"Definitely. You heard what happened with Harry and Gin in the Wizengamot?"

"I'd heard the rumors." Seamus blushed as he began to laugh. Then he cringed as he saw Harry take a nasty curse from a wickedly grinning Ginny. "That had to hurt."

"So what do you suppose they did wrong to get Hermione and Ginny so worked up?" Angelina asked, shielding her eyes from the flashes below.

Seamus frowned at her. "Now why do women always assume it's the blokes' fault?"

Angelina shot him her most condescending smile. "You're kidding, right? Wanna put some Galleons on whose fault this is?"

Seamus hesitated as the building shook under the force of a hex Hermione had sent at Ron. "No." With a shake of his head, he turned back to watch the spectacle; he couldn't hear what was being said, but it looked like Ron was now yelling at Harry.

"Dammit, Potter! Stay out of my line of fire!"

"I would if you'd quit dodging around so much! Stay out of mine!"

Hermione hissed, "Potter, if you accidentally hex him before I do, I'll feed you to a Manticore!"

Ginny spun to her right and loosed a Bat Bogey hex at point blank range, her fiery locks flying wildly about her. Harry stumbled as he shielded it. _Gods, she's beautiful when she's angry. _Despite himself, he started to smile.

"Harry James," she grunted, "what's so damned funny!"

Ron and Hermione's attention was pulled to their friends' exchange. The curses ceased to fly, leaving the night air to be filled only with the sounds of labored breathing.

Slowly, Harry let his wand hand drop to his side. "Nothing's funny, Gin."

She was completely caught off guard by the answer, which kept her from dealing the final hex to her defenseless boyfriend. "Then why…"

"Ginevra, you know how much I …"

Harry never had a chance to finish the thought.

Ten Death Eaters Apparated right in the middle of the transfigured alley the two couples had squared off in.

The Quartet's shield spells just barely escaped from their wands before they would have been vaporized by twice as many _Reducto_ curses.

Harry shouted, "Back to back!" With practiced precision, Ginny and Hermione spun to Harry and Ron's sides, wands blazing.

Seamus and Angelina looked on in shock. "Merlin! Seamus, get back to the Auror's Ready Room and…" Four more Death Eaters appeared on their rooftop before Angelina could send Seamus off to bring the full Auror Corps to the fight. The curses fell too thick for either of them to even think of sending off a Patronus.

In the alley was unrestrained warfare. Harry wheeled to the right shielding for Ginny as she sent _Expulso_ hexes in all directions. Hermione was shielding for Ron as he did the same. It was a delicate dance the Quartet had practiced to perfection. The shielder had to know the spell rhythms of the caster well enough to realize when to shield and when to drop their defenses to allow for a riposte. With this many Death Eaters hurling curses, Harry and Hermione had their wands full. The concussion from the spells their shields absorbed shook the alley and threatened to throw them both off their feet.

Then Harry caught movement out of the corner of his eye. "Ron!" he shouted in alarm, as a Death Eater Apparated behind the redhead.

Ron didn't miss a beat as he cast a non-verbal strength spell and rammed his elbow into the dark wizard's nose. The Death Eater crumpled in a heap as Ron dealt him a vicious kick; Hermione dropped her shield and hit him with a massive stunning spell.

Harry gasped with the effort of expanding his _Protego_ to cover Hermione, as six _Reducto_ curses slammed into his shield. Sweat ran into his eyes and he'd begun to shake with the effort of protecting all four of them.

Hermione peered through the carnage, watching Ginny blast two Death Eaters into the alley wall, their shield spells too weak to dampen her curses. Hermione was just about to help an overtaxed Harry with the burden of protecting them all when she saw two Death Eaters cross their wands just as the remaining ones turned on the spot and vanished.

"MERLIN! GRAB HOLD!" Hermione screamed.

Without thought, Harry, Ginny and Ron grabbed Hermione's robes as she Apparated. They appeared on a rooftop three blocks away just in time to see the alley disintegrate in a blinding red explosion.

Hermione went to her knees, drained by the effort of side-along Apparating three people so quickly. Ron had her in his arms in an instant. "Love?" His voice was heavy with worry.

"Fine," Hermione tried to clear her head and form a full sentence. "I'm fine. Just woozy."

Harry and Ginny knelt beside her and helped them to their feet. Then Harry looked across to his girlfriend, concern etched into his face. "Gin?" he asked, panting.

"I'm fine, love," she said, sucking in a breath. "Nothing wrong with me a massage won't fix." With a little effort, she managed to shoot him a smile.

Ron wasn't nearly as calm as his sister. "Hermione…Dammit, woman! Don't…"

But Hermione cut him off. "Don't what, Ronald! Don't take risks that make you go grey!"

"Of all the…"

Harry silenced his partner with a firm look.

Ron took a deep breath. "I'm…I'm sorry, love. You just…had me scared is all."

Ginny crossed her arms over her chest. "I can't imagine how difficult that must be for you." Her tone was off the sarcasm scale. It made Harry blanch.

Then, Seamus and Angelina appeared with a _crack_.

"You alright?" Seamus asked, wiping blood from his brow.

"We're fine. But you aren't, mate," Ron said.

Seamus shook his head. "_Sectumsempra_. Shoulda dodged when I weaved. Most of it missed me though."

Angelina let out a breath, once she realized everyone was in one piece. "We saw you get jumped. Before we could do anything, four more appeared on our rooftop. We dropped two. The others Apparated away just before…" She shook her head at the still-raging fire three blocks away.

Harry turned to his best mate. "We gotta put the fire out. Whatever they did, we can't let them know how well it worked."

Ron nodded and the four Aurors hefted their wands. Just as the flames were snuffed out, Hermione and Ginny put up charms to mask the damage.

Then Harry looked to Hermione. "You seemed to know what they were doing. Care to enlighten us?"

Hermione launched into lecture mode. "I'd been working on a new mass stunner spell."

"So that's what you two hit us with?" Ron asked.

Ginny smiled. "Stung a bit, did it dear brother?"

Ron scowled at her; Harry waved them off before a new fight broke out and motioned for Hermione to go on.

"I was still working out the kinks, but I discovered that, if it's timed properly, crossing wands with another Magus increases the power of the spell by the square of the number of casters. But it's dangerous. Their timing has to be perfect. If not, the spell's power will increase by the square of the square of the casters, which will be too much for them to control."

Seamus couldn't hide his smile. "You have to teach us that."

"Unapproved spells, Finnigan…" Hermione shook her head. "We'll discuss it later. Just before the explosion, I saw two Death Eaters cross wands. I figured a combined spell would be too much for us, but I didn't think we'd be able to Apparate under fire, that is until all the rest vanished. I saw the opening and took it."

"That was a stunning spell gone wrong?" Angelina asked.

Harry shook his head. "I couldn't hear over all the carnage. But I saw their lips move."

Ginny wasn't sure she wanted the answer, but mustered the courage to ask. "What was the incantation?"

"_Reducto_." Harry's voice was devoid of emotion. "What's worse, I could tell they didn't even try to coordinate the casting."

"Mate, that means…" Ron went pale. "It was a bloody suicide attack."

Hermione nodded, slowly, as Harry stared off to the side.

"That was the plan? That's why the others left?" Angelina asked.

"Yes," Harry answered. "That was the plan. Two sacrificial lambs in exchange for the four of us."

"Diabolical." But the strategist in Ron couldn't help but be impressed at the pure terror of this new tactic. "I don't know how often they could repeat it. There simply can't be that many of them left. They can't afford the casualties."

"I'm sure if they get desperate enough it won't matter. This war has to end, and soon," Ginny said with finality.

Ron sighed. "You and Harry are both right. Our best bet is to make sure they don't find out how well it worked."

"Ideas?" Harry asked his partner.

Ron was silent for a moment as he thought. "Plant a false story in the _Prophet_: Death Eaters tried a new spell that backfired; only resulted in the death of their own. No damage, no Auror casualties," Ron said. "Otherwise, if they try to use it again, it'll definitely…bollix things up." Ron eyed Harry, who knew in an instant his best mate was making a veiled reference to the coming operation to round up the remaining Death Eaters. The security levels regarding planning for it were strictly need-to-know. They couldn't discuss everything else that needed to be said about it to Hermione and Ginny if Seamus and Angelina were within earshot. At least, not yet.

Harry turned to Angelina. "Can you handle the press release?"

"Creative writing's a hobby," she said with a smile. "No worries."

Seamus interjected, "What about spotters? If they had even one Death Eater watching from a safe distance, we have a problem."

Once again, Harry looked to Hermione. With a nod, she hefted her wand to the sky, murmuring an incantation. The clouds illuminated in a quick flash. Then she stood, eyes closed, as if she were in a trance. A moment later, she let out a breath and opened her eyes; she looked very drained. "No one else was here. The others Apparated away before they could see what happened."

Seamus was amazed at this display of magic. "How…"

"Don't ask," Hermione said evenly. Then she turned to Harry. "No witnesses; I'm sure."

"Good." Harry turned to Seamus and Angelina. "Both of you get back to the Ready Room and take the two Death Eaters you stunned with you. Before you go, it couldn't hurt to do a sweep and see if any of the Death Eaters we stunned survived that blast. All prisoners to be held in complete isolation until I say different. Standard interrogations. Start the paperwork on this debacle. Ron and I will finish it in the morning. For the time being, no mention of the spell they used."

Technically, Hermione should've been giving the orders, as Undersecretary to the Minister for Magical Law Enforcement. But this was Auror jurisdiction and everyone treated Harry as if he were Head Auror, even Kingsley who still nominally held that title as well as that of Minister of Magic. Sometimes, leadership is about more than titles and job descriptions. This was one of those times.

"And, Seamus?"

"Aye?"

"Get that wound looked to."

The Irishman nodded as he and Angelina turned on the spot, leaving the rooftop to the Quartet, who eyed each other, silently. With the crisis averted, their own problems began to bubble back to the surface.

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Grimmauld Place?"

Hermione looked to Ginny, who nodded.

Ron eyed his partner. "I need a drink."

"We all do. Let's go," Harry said.

They all turned on the spot; the rooftop was empty.

HpHpHp

The cork came out of the bottle of Old Ogden's with an audible "pop."

"Music to my ears," Ron said with great satisfaction as he poured out two tumblers for himself and Harry.

"Not so fast there, big brother," Ginny chastised.

Ron's head snapped to his sister. "Look…"

She cut him off. "_Four_ glasses, Ronniekins."

That raised eyebrows from the wizards in the room. Gin and Hermione were wine and butterbeer drinkers. But this didn't seem to be the time to argue about alcohol preferences. Ron grabbed two more tumblers as he finished pouring out. He handed the first two to his girlfriend and his sister.

Gin and Hermione had taken up residence on the couch to the left of the fireplace, leaving Ron and Harry the two new Wingback chairs across from them. Redecorating Grimmauld Place had been a never-ending project for Ginny. Slowly, the Black Family home began to take on the comfortable familiarity of the Gryffindor common room, and feel less and less like a Dementor's summer shanty, as Ginny put it.

Harry had already collapsed into his chair, after draping his cloak over the arm. He took his tumbler from Ron with a nod and a smile; he took a sip.

However, Ginny's and Hermione's drinks disappeared in one long pull before Ron ever managed to take a seat.

"You're still on bartender duty," Hermione said archly, waving her tumbler at her boyfriend.

Slowly, Ron replied, "Okay." Taking their empty glasses, he went back to the sideboard and refilled them.

All the while, a slightly bemused Harry couldn't help but smirk. "Just bring the bottle back, mate."

With a shrug, Ron set the bottle on the coffee table and settled into his chair with a sigh.

Hermione eyed them both. "Talk."

Harry looked to Ron, who nodded, indicating he should start.

"Ron showed me that letter from Draco last week at the Broomsticks. We had a long talk about…it."

Ron's eyebrows shot up in alarm when his best mate almost let the Kneazle out of the bag.

Harry continued, "Ron had one of his moments of inspiration…"

Hermione cut across him. "Firewhiskey induced?"

Ron shrugged his shoulders. "Somewhat."

"Anyway," Harry continued, "if we let Draco tell his Death Eater contacts that the two of us had gone out for a drink, without protection…"

"They'd come after us in force," Ron finished. "We might just get all of them at once."

"And that's why you two are the bait," Ginny deadpanned.

Harry nodded. "After what they tried tonight, I'm even more certain they'd commit if they were sure we were vulnerable." The Chosen One's voice filled with conviction. "Ron's plan will work."

"Something else, mate. I know where to set the trap," Ron said. "That blind alley we cornered Galloway in. It's narrow, good cover on the far end for us. If we can get them to chase us in there, with the Corps on the surrounding rooftops and Anti-Dissaparation Charms in place, we'll have them."

"Ron, that's brilliant! Why didn't I…"

"You two trapped in a dead-end alley by all the renegade Death Eaters is…_brilliant?"_ Ginny's voice had raised an octave as she finished, with an angry toss of her head.

Harry was gobsmacked. He looked to Ron, who was equally at a loss as to how to save his best mate from this colossal blunder. Harry and Ron braced themselves for the explosion.

Of all people, it was Hermione who came to the rescue. "I'm not liking this at all." Then she took a deep breath. "But, we've talked about it." She rested a calming hand on Ginny's knee as the two shared a look.

Ginny nodded, grudgingly.

"We understand the 'why' and, right now, could care less about the 'how,'" Hermione said, her voice starting to betray her emotions. "What we're mad about is how silent you've been about it."

Ironically enough, neither Harry nor Ron knew what to say. For several heartbeats, Grimmauld Place was as quiet as the tomb it used to be before Ginny had breathed life back into it.

Harry finally found his voice. "There was more to what Ron and I talked about that night at the Broomsticks."

Ginny frowned. "We're listening."

Ron shot Harry a panicked look. "Not like this, mate."

"You're going Flobberworm on me now?" Harry asked, exasperated.

"Not like this!" Ron said again, forcefully. "Hermione, c'mon, we're…" It took Ron a full second to find an excuse to get his girlfriend alone, "...gonna find some food." Ron was out of his seat, pulling Hermione into the kitchen before she could protest.

They were hardly out of earshot when Ginny asked, "What the hell is up with you two?"

"Gin…"

"No, seriously." Her voice caught. "You're starting to scare me, Harry."

He felt cold hard fear coming off of her in waves through their bond. That, and seeing his strong-willed Ginny, with her face starting to cloud over, nearly broke his heart. He came out of his chair and crossed the room to her nearly as fast as if he'd Apparated there.

He pulled her to him as he tried to soothe her, rubbing her arms. "Gin, no. It's not like that…"

"Then, what's it like Harry? For the love of Merlin, tell me!" Rare tears had begun to fill her eyes.

"This isn't the way…"

"Dammit, Potter!"

"We were also talking about getting engaged!"

Ginny's face went through such a wide range of emotions so fast that Harry couldn't catalogue them even with the bond as a guide. _Man-up, Potter. This wasn't how you pictured it, but you're here now. Do it! _

"Ginevra…Draco's letter, it changed things. It took Ron literally beating me over the head with it to see. But, I saw." Harry hung his head. "I know you've started to feel…like we were drifting."

"Harry, I didn't…"

"Just shut up long enough for me to get this out," Harry said through his smile. "Can you do that?"

She smiled back, as her eyes finally started to shed the tears she'd denied for so long. What she felt from him through the link calmed her. _But…he isn't really gonna do this? Is he? Oh, sweet Merlin!_ "Shutting up."

"Ever since Kingsley dragged us into the Auror Corps, Ron and I always had an understanding. Until the war was over, _really over_, we wouldn't propose. My plan, actually. I couldn't bear leaving you behind that way, if things went…wrong." Harry's voice had threatened to betray him as he got the words out.

Ginny rested her hand on his cheek, urging him to go on.

"With that letter and Ron's plan, the end's in sight. At least, we think it is. But, Gin, even if it isn't, I want my life, _our lives_, to finally start. Even though our troubles with the Death Eaters aren't over yet, I want us to be together. Forever."

_Bugger, where's the ring?_ The thought had hardly crossed his mind when he heard a loud "snap" and felt something appear in his shirt pocket. He peered just past Ginny to see none other than Kreacher at the top of the stairs, smiling down at him.

With a grateful nod to the old house elf, Harry slid off the couch and dropped to one knee, just as Ginny's hand went unbidden to her mouth.

Then he pulled the box out of his pocket. "This was my mother's. I got it from the vault a few days ago. But, Ron and I…We were trying to find a way to tell you, both of you, but the plan and the proposal got wound up all together and…we just got lost."

He snapped the box open, revealing a two-carat diamond, surrounded by emeralds in a magnificent gold setting. "Ginny, I don't want to be lost anymore. Help me find my way. Marry me?"

Ginny gazed down at the ring Harry was holding; her hands gently began to shake as she nodded. "Oh, Harry…"

Then she was interrupted by screams from the kitchen.

"YES! YES! YES! OH GODS, RON, YES!"

"What the hell?" Harry was at a loss.

Then they realized the shouting had subtly turned into moaning; they both started to laugh.

"Sounds like my brother got the answer he was looking for, too, and then some," Ginny said through her laughter. "Gods, we _eat_ in there."

"Not anymore." Harry could hardly get the words out as he chuckled. "Don't those two ever use _Muffliato_ when they…" His laughter dried up as he turned back to his…girlfriend? fiancée? _Wait a minute!_ "Gin, you still haven't given me an answer," Harry said, a little concern in his voice.

"Apparate me upstairs and I'll give you one a lot louder than my soon-to-be sister-in-law is giving Ron right now." Ginny shot Harry her most wicked smile.

"Your wish is my command!" Harry scooped his fiancée up into his arms as he turned on the spot. _Fiancée. I like the sound of that!_

_AN: The final chapter will post this weekend (May 7 or 8, 2011). Tune in to find out what happened in the kitchen!_


	4. Epilogue: What Happened in the Kitchen

"Ronald!" Hermione scolded as he dragged her into the kitchen.

"Not yet."

"Food? You're seriously thinking about food?" She was seething. "Harry, I can understand; the Dursleys practically starved him. But, what is it with you..."

"Woman!" Ron cut across her and was slightly amazed she stopped talking. He let out a breath. "I'm not hungry. Okay?" He nervously ran his hand through his hair and leaned against the table.

As the silence drew out, Hermione lost her patience. "Well?"

"I just didn't want to be in there when…"

Hermione shook her head in exasperation. "When…_what?"_

"When…when we talked about this," he said sheepishly.

"The plan? Ron, why in the name of Merlin's…"

"Not the bloody plan, Hermione. Gods, can't you just give me a minute to think?"

Hermione crossed her arms and cocked an eyebrow at her boyfriend. "Take your time," she said sarcastically.

Despite himself, Ron started to laugh. Seeing that Hermione's color was beginning to redden, which was always a bad sign, he broke the silence.

"That's what I love about you, you know? 'Brilliant, but scary.'* Remember?"

Hermione was fighting the grin that desperately wanted to creep across her face. When she lost that battle, Ron took both her hands in his.

"I gave Harry that letter from Malfoy with more than an end to the Death Eaters in mind. I knew I'd have to get him alone and maybe get some Firewhiskey in him to get him to see reason."

"Reason?" she asked.

Ron nodded. "Bloody hell, Hermione, haven't you wondered why he's been enduring all the grief Mum's been giving him about the two of them living together for so long?"

"Well, I assumed he hadn't proposed to Ginny because he was having one of his fits of nobility again."

_Now we're getting somewhere_, Ron thought. "Right. He wanted to wait till the Guerrilla War was over; didn't want any risk of leaving a grieving wife behind." He locked his eyes on hers. "And, since the Forest of Dean," it took an effort for Ron to maintain eye contact as he mentioned that time in their lives, "have you ever seen Harry and me do anything important that we didn't do together?"

He cocked an eyebrow at her and waited. _This must be how she feels when she's trying to explain Ministry procedure to me. _

It didn't take long. Ron could see that it hit her like a bolt of lightning. "Now, do you understand why I've been dodging the subject?"

Hermione slowly nodded. "You've been waiting for him, trying to talk him into it."

Ron hesitated. "I needed to be there for him; I needed to be in it with him. I owed him that, and a lot more. And hell, I needed to convince myself, too. I wasn't thrilled about the prospect of making you a widow, either." Ron bit his lip. "Before I could make a promise like that to you, I wanted to be pretty sure that I'd be around to keep it. I owed _you_ that. I couldn't bear the thought of failing you again." His eyes teared up a bit as he finished. "I hope you can understand why I had to wait…Once you gave me Draco's letter, I realized the waiting was over. But, Harry still needed a push."

"So, now you're…" Hermione couldn't finish the sentence. She felt her knees go weak.

"I am…Please…be my wife."

"Why?"

_"Why?"_ Ron wasn't expecting that.

"Why, Ronald?" Her voice was gentle, but insistent.

_Oh, bugger! "Why?"_ Ron asked the kitchen. "Granger, people that bicker as much as we do are supposed to be married. They're called 'old married couples.'"

"Ronald…"

"Because," he dropped to one knee, "because, that day in the hospital wing when I'd been poisoned, the only thing I needed was you. And then, you were there, holding my hand."

Hermione shook her head. "But, you didn't remember…"

"I remembered. I was just too scared to tell you. Since that day, you've been my whole world." Ron took a deep breath. "Hermione Jean Granger, will you feed me, have horrible rows with me, love me and stay by my side for the rest of our lives no matter how mental I make you?"

Hermione couldn't speak. Ron was starting to get nervous. _Gods, Harry was right. What do I do if she says no? _

That's when she threw herself at him. "YES! YES! YES! OH GODS, RON, YES!"

It happened that fast. The couple completely forgot where they were as Hermione pinned Ron to the kitchen table, their clothing flying everywhere. He managed to disengage his lips just long enough to ask a single question. "Are you sure?"

She stared at him. "Ronald?"

"Yes, love?"

"Shut up."

"Right." _Gods, I hope we don't break Harry's table._

Fin.

_AN: This tale is part of an entire universe of stories. A chronology is included below. Up next in the timeline: "The Tipping Point," currently my favorite story._

_Nearly everything I write ultimately leads into my novel, "Children's Crusade," which is posting now. _

_Curious as to what happens with the plan? You'll just have to keep reading. I know, I'm evil. Whatdyagonnado?_

_Thanks for reading!_

_Eldy_

_Crusadiverse Timeline:_

_1998 – July – "Hermione's Wand" – one shot - posted_

_1999- August – "Journey of a Thousand Miles" – one shot - posted_

_2000 – August – "The Battle of the Pitch" (main story line) – short story – posted_

_2000 – November – "The Adventures of Reckless Git and Danger Ponce" – short story – posted_

_2002 – Spring – "The Proposal" –short story, which now includes as its prologue "Best Laid Plans," formerly a one-shot – posted._

_2002 – Early Summer – "The Tipping Point" – short story – posted._

_2002 – Summer – "Children's Crusade"- novel – sequel to "Stop All The Clocks" – Posting now!_

_2003 – December – "The Gift"- one shot - not yet posted_

_2004 – May – "The Battle of the Pitch" (introductory story line) – posted_

_More is on the way!_

___* Line taken from the film "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." (Warner Bros., 2001 -screenplay by J.K. Rowling and Steve Kloves) The toys belong to JKR - she just lets us play with them. _


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